Tips help Orange cops make arrests in killings

July 28, 2007|By April Hunt, Sentinel Staff Writer

Tips from the public were credited Friday with helping Orange County sheriff's detectives make arrests in the killings of two people at a Pine Hills chiropractor's office and the slaying of a man at long-term residence motel.

An open appeal to the Orlando area's Haitian-American community produced information that Drinel Joseph of Homestead was upset over the demise of his relationship with Griselda Cassamajor, the Sheriff's Office said.

The 27-year-old woman and a 20-year-old co-worker, Daniel Rivera, were gunned down at the end of their shifts at Orlando Ultimate Health Care Center on July 2.

Rivera, a masseur, died at the scene, while Cassamajor, the co-owner's niece and receptionist, later died at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Detectives ruled out robbery but had several possible motives, including a love triangle. Initially, no one in the Haitian-American community would come forward with information, prompting the appeal for help.

"We learned it was not a love triangle," sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. "We were able to determine it was about a failed relationship with the female, and he [Rivera] was just there."

Leads supplied by the public pointed investigators to Joseph, 27, who was arrested at his home Friday morning. He was returned to Orlando to face two charges of first-degree murder.

Haitian immigrants are "traditionally not forthcoming with law enforcement, because the police are not the good guys where they are from," Solomons said. "We are working very hard in day-to-day contact to change that."

Community leader Nancy Charles said the sheriff's efforts, including visible outreach by such leaders as Undersheriff Malone Stewart, have helped build trust between residents and law enforcement.

"The fact that police were serious about finding justice will make a big difference," said Charles, an educator at for the Orange County school system and spokeswoman for the Haitian Chamber of Commerce.

"People see they are doing what they are supposed to be doing and want to help."

Public cooperation also figured in the case of a 30-year-old man found dead in his room at the Inn Town Suites on South Orange Blossom Trail, the Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators were able to quickly determine the July 10 killing of Derrick Barnes in his room at the extended-stay hotel was drug- and robbery-related. Tips offered to investigators led to four arrests, the last of which was made on Thursday.

The lack of tipsters and witnesses has stymied arrests in other parts of the country. Reports show that investigators in Newark, N.J., for example, are facing a two-year increase in murders but struggle to get help from residents.

Solomons said the Sheriff's Office will continue to reach out to the community, including Haitian immigrants.

The office considers Crimeline, a hotline that offers callers anonymity and the prospect of a cash reward, one of its main assets. Anyone with information about an open case can call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.